THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety arrangement in the form of an air-bag arrangement, such as an air-bag arrangement mounted in a motor vehicle, or a load distribution element.
When a motor vehicle is involved in an impact, especially a front impact, the floor pan of the vehicle may be distorted. The distortion of the floor pan may be such that, if no protection is provided, a very substantial upward acceleration is applied to the feet of an occupant of the vehicle. This acceleration, although being an acceleration of a very short distance, may lead to substantial injuries to the feet or ankles of the occupant of the vehicle. Alternatively the floor pan of the vehicle may be distorted so that it intrudes substantially into the cabin of the motor vehicle.
It has been proposed to provide an air-bag or inflatable element located on the floor pan in the foot-well of a motor vehicle at a position beneath (or beneath and in front of) the feet of the occupant, the air-bag being adapted to be inflated as a consequence of an impact being detected, the inflated air-bag thus serving to lift the feet of the occupant above the floor pan of the vehicle, providing a desirable degree of protection.
It has been found that there is a particular risk of injuries arising if the forces applied on the feet and/or the ankles of an occupant of a vehicle are very high, or are exerted on the feet or ankles at a disadvantageous angle. An ankle could be broken, for example, if the foot is caused to rotate or bend in a specific direction relative to the lower leg. Thus, if an occupant has a typical position within a motor vehicle, an ankle could be broken if the foot rotates about a line that is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Injuries can also arise if the front part of the foot is bent upwards too much relative to the heel.